Recipes for Nora Pouillon’s Pasta with Ten Kinds of Tomatoes and Hill Acres Pride Shepard’s Pie
Nora Pouillon knows that local, organic agriculture is good for people, communities and the environment, and that a fresh-picked, vine-ripened summer tomato is one of the tastiest foods you can eat! A large red beefsteak is the “classic” tomato, but a wide variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors can be found at farmers markets in late summer. Nora suggests ten different types for this colorful recipe, but you can use whatever you like.
Pasta with Ten Kinds of Tomatoes
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pasta and Tomato Mixture:
1 pound pasta, fresh or dried, such as fettucine or penne
10 kinds of ripe tomatoes, preferably local and organic. 1-1 ¼ pounds of an assortment such as:
1 red tomato
1 yellow tomato
1 red cherry tomato
1 yellow cherry tomato
1 red pear tomato
1 yellow pear tomato
1 red currant tomato
1 yellow currant tomato
1 orange or yellow sunburst tomato
1 green grape tomato
1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne
½ small red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
Basil leaves for garnish (optional)
Put the vinegar, salt, and garlic into a small bowl, slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add the black pepper. Taste and adjust for seasoning if necessary. Wash and chop the large tomatoes, quarter the medium ones, and halve the small ones. Leave the currant tomatoes whole. Toss with the balsamic vinaigrette, chopped onion, and julienned basil leaves. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and boil 3-4 minutes if using fresh or according to package directions for dried, cook until al dente. Drain and toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil to prevent sticking.
Pour pasta into a warmed bowl, top with the tomato salad and toss, or put the pasta on 4 large, warmed dinner plates and arrange several spoonfuls of the tomato salad on top. Garnish with basil leaves (optional). Serves 4.